Troy Zander, board chairman of Feeding America San Diego and general counsel of its national organization, is passionate about eliminating hunger, yet he fell into the role almost by accident, simply by volunteering for the pro-bono committee at his law firm, DLA Piper. Feeding America San Diego serves 73,000 San Diegans each week.

Feeding America San Diego started in the parking lot of the San Diego Rescue Mission, a partner, Oct. 9, 2007, with two employees. Last year it distributed 21.5 million pounds of food from a 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Waples Street.

Much of the food is fresh produce, a healthy practice that is rare among the nation’s nonprofit food banks. Feeding America San Diego partners with many groups, including the Paradise Valley Community Church, Bridge of Hope and Jewish Family Services. Its sponsors include Ralphs, Albertsons, Target, Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, DLA Piper and Naked Café.

“No one wants to admit to needing assistance, whether with completing forms for government assistance or to fill a bag of groceries,” Zander said. “So it’s particularly important to treat those in need with dignity.”

Q: What have been your own most gratifying moments?

A: I have had the opportunity to serve food to kids and adults and to assist with outreach to the elderly across the country, from Maryland to Chicago to Las Vegas to San Diego. Each time it’s extremely gratifying but always equally humbling. Helping anyone in need, any kind of need, is gratifying. The thank you that comes from someone in need makes my heart swell.

Q: What are your feelings for the needy this holiday season in San Diego?

A: Whether you consider the city, the county, the region, state or nation, there is absolutely no reason anyone in this country should be hungry — not just during the holidays, but at any point during the year. Politicians pour millions of dollars into political campaigns, foreign interests and wars, and yet a fraction of that money could go a long way toward alleviating hunger here at home. The problem is systemic. A hungry child can’t learn, and an uneducated adult can’t earn. That’s a cycle we need to break if we expect to compete in the global economy. The issue of hunger is that far-reaching.

Of course particularly at the holidays, when the “spirit” moves most people, we see great generosity from our neighbors. And that’s wonderful, but it’s not enough. We need to do more throughout the year to alleviate hunger. No child, elderly person or family should wonder where their holiday meal — if they can even imagine one — will come from. That’s just not right.

Q: Is San Diego different from other cities and regions in fighting hunger?

A: Yes. I like to say that for a big city, San Diego is a small town. Nationally, 1 in 6 Americans — nearly 49 million people — are “food insecure,” meaning, they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. The need is even greater in San Diego, where 1 in 5 people — and 1 in 4 children — are food insecure and yet, we are blessed in San Diego with a wealthy community. Of course, there’s a deep divide between those with the greatest means and those without.